Illuminated powder compact



May 10, 1966 F. E. LAWRENCE ETAL 3,250,903

ILLUMINATED POWDER COMPACT Filed NOV. 1.9, 1963 men 5 H m4 M W/Z a 4 w (M $2 5 ww Mm W 5 m B M w United States Patent 3,250,908 ILLUMINATED POWDER COIVIPACT Frederick E. Lawrence and Thelma E. Lawrence, both of,

This invention relates to an illuminated powder com-. pact.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an efficient, practical, and easily used device of the kind indicated, for use in dark as well as lighted places, which includes an electrically lighted mirror, which serves as the closure for a battery and light bulb compartment, the compartment and the mirror being hinged to and serving as the closure for a powder container.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above, wherein a rugged and positive acting spring-closed light switch, in circuit with the battery and the light bulbs, is incorporated in the battery compartment, in the region of its hinged connection with the powder container, the switch being adapted to be opened by contact with the container as the compartment is closed thereon.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following descrip tion and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevation of a device of the present invention, showing the battery compartment in open position and exposing the mirror for use;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged central vertical longitudinal section taken through FIGURE 1, showing the compo nents of the device in open positions, in full lines, and in closed positions, in phantom lines;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinal section, taken on the line 44 of FIGURE '3, showing details of the switch, the battery compartment being in closed position and the switch in open position; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated device comprises a circular, pan-shaped, open top container having a flat bottom wall 12, and an upstanding peripheral wall 14, in which is fitted a circular block 16 of face powder. The side wall 14 is formed, in its outer surface and through its upper edge 18, with a continuous external annular stop groove 20,

narrower than and equally spaced from the ends of the 'crosshead 26. As shown in FIGURE 2, the tongue 28 extends above the crosshead 26 and the stop groove 20, and has a convex semicircular top 30, and a flat inwardly and downwardly angled stop undersurface 32. The tongue 28 is formed with a transverse bore 34 which is centered relative to the semicircular top 30.

The device further comprises a circular pan-shaped, open top, battery compartment 36, of the same diameter as the container 10, having a fiat bottom wall 38 and an upstanding peripheral side wall 40, the height of the side wall 40 preferably being equal to the distance from the stop groove 20 of the container 10 to the underside of ice the bottom wall 12 thereof. A pair of laterally spaced, radial hinge cars 42 extend outwardly from the upper part of the compartment side wall 40, which are of the same contour as and are axially aligned with the tongue 28. A headed hinge pin 44 extends axially through the hinge cars 42 and through the bore 34 of the tongue 28. The hinge ears 42 have flat inwardly and downwardly extending stop surfaces 46 on the underside, which, in the fully opened position of the compartment 36, bear against the stop surface 32 of the tongue whereby the container and the compartment are held in open coplanar relationship, as shown in FIGURE 2.

Suitably secured upon the compartment bottom wall 38, in spaced relation to the opposed sides of the side Wall 40, is a pair of laterally spaced longitudinally arranged similar battery clips 48, in which reversed pen-light batteries .50 and 52 are removably secured, the battery 50 having its 'base contact 54 adjacent to the container 10 and its center contact 56 remote from the container, the base contact 58 and the center contact 60 of the battery 52 being reversed relative thereto.

Suitably anchored upon the upper surface of the bottom wall 38 of the compartment 36 are spring contacts 62 and 64, with which the center contact 56 of the battery 50 and the base contact 58 of the battery 52 are severally engaged. A single bridging spring contact 66 is fixed as indicated at 68, upon the upper surface of the bottom wall 38, which extends between and electrically bridges the base contact 54 of the battery 50 and the center contact 60 of the battery 52. Light bulb sockets 70 and 72 are secured upon the bottom wall 38, at points close to the side wall 40, outwardly of the contacts, and at the end of the compartment remote from the container 10, in which light bulbs 74 and 76 are severally engaged. The bases of the bulbs are electrically engaged with the sockets 70 and 72 and a first wire 78 extends between and is electrically connectedto the sockets. A second wire 80 extends between and is electrically connected to the center contact '82 of the bulb 76 and to the spring contact 62, and a, third wire 84 extends between and is electrically connected to the same contact and to the center contact 86 of the bulbs 74. A fourth wire 88 leads from the spring bulb socket 72, and a fifth wire 90 leads from the spring contact 64, to related sides of a spring closed switch 92.

The switch 92, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, comprises an elongated conductive plunger rod 94, which works in an accommodating socket 96 opening to the upper surface of one of the hinge ears 42 of the compartment 36. The plunger rod 94 has a rounded upper end 98 for downward engagement with the bottom of the stop groove 20 of the container 10, in the closed position of the compartment 36, whereby the plunger rod is elevated in the socket 96, against the resistance of a coil spring 100 which is compressed between the inner end of the rod and thebot-tom 102 of the socket 94. The spring 100 normally extends the plunger rod a substantial distance out of the socket 96, wherein a radial contact lug 104 on the rod 94, working in a slot 97 opening to the socket 96, is

bined closure and mirror assembly 112, which comprises a circular channel rim 114, smaller in diameter than the compartment 36 and adapted to seat, in the closed position of the assembly, in an internal annular groove 116,

on-the compartment side wall 40. The groove 116 is defined by. the inner surface of the side wall 40 and the top of an annular flange 118, extending inwardly from the side wall, on a level spaced above the batteries 50 and 52 and the bulbs 74 and 76, and spaced below the upper edge 120 of the side Wall 40'. v

The rim 114 has a flat chordal lower edge portion 122 which is piano-hinged as indicated at 124, on the upper end of: an upstanding transversely extending plate 126, which is suitably fixed to and rises from the flange 118, at the end of the compartment 36 remote from the container 10, whereby, in its closed position, the assembly 112 lies flat upon the flange 118, in downwardly spaced relation to the upper edge 120 of the compartment side wall, as shown in FIGURE 2. On a level above the closed assembly 112, the compartment side wall 40 is formed with an internal clearance groove 128, which opens through the upper edge 120 of the side wall. A spring-pressed ball detent 130 is engaged in a radial socket 132, in the side Wall of the groove 116 located adjacent to and between the hinge ears 42, with which the related upper edge portion of the rim 114 is adapted to releasably and securably engage, in the closed position of the assembly 112. A finger-piece 134- is provided on the outer side of the upper part of the rim 114 which facilitates opening the assembly 112, against the resistance of the detent 130.

The mirror compartment of the assembly 112 comprises a glass or similarly suitable material disc 136, whose edge fits securably within the channel rim 114. The disc 13 6 has a diametrical centered mirror area 13 8, spaced from the sides of the disc, which is silvered on its back, which comprises the major part of the exposed area of the disc. At the opposite sides of the mirror area 138 are clear areas 140, which extend to the top of the disc, and opaque areas 142 which extend downwardly, from the clear areas 140 to the lower edge of the disc. The opaque areas 142 are dimensioned and located to conceal the bulbs 74 and 76 and soften their light, and the clear areas 140 expose the residual light from the bulbs and the light reflected from polished reflecting areas 144, provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall 38 of the compartment 36, at opposite sides of the batteries 50 and 52 beyond the light bulbs. With this arrangement, objectionable glare 'from the light bulbs is eliminated, while transmission of light from the bulbs is obtained through the clear areas 140', at opposite sides of the mirror area 138, for maximum efiective lighting of the face of the user of the device.

Any suitable means for releasably securing the assembly 112 in closing relationship to the powder container can be employed, such as a radially outwardly offset hook catch 144 rising from the upper part of the side wall 40 of the compartment 36, which is adapted to be snapped around the flange 2-2 on the side wall 14 of the container 10, as shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 2.

It will be understood that while the above described device is set forth in terms of a circular compact, the shape thereof can be varied within the purview of the present invention.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. An illuminated compact comprising a pan-shaped powder container, a pan-shaped battery compartment hinged to the container to be hinged between a closed position in registry with the container and an open position away from the container, electrical illuminating means enclosed within the compartment, a closure assembly for the compartment comprising a mirror and translucent areas for passing light to the face of a user of the compact from said illuminating means, and spring-closed switch means connected to the illuminating means and coacting with the container and the compartment and adapted to open the circuit only by closing of the compartment on the container, said switch means comprising asocket in the hinge of the compartment opening to the top of the hinge, and a spring-pressed plunger rod working in the socket and having an exposed end adapted .to bear upon the container only in the closed position of the compartment upon the container and having a contact lug adapted to engage a contact plate in the compartment only in the open position of the container.

2. An illuminated compact comprising a pan-shaped powder container, a pan-shaped battery compartment hinged to the container to be hinged between a closed position in registry with the container and an open position away from the container, electrical illuminating means enclosed within the compartment, a closure assembly for the compartment comprising -a mirror and translucent areas for passing light to the face of a user of the compact from said illuminating means, and spring-closed switch means connected to the illuminating means and coacting with the container and the compartment and adapted to open the circuit only by closing of the compartment on the container, said container and said compartment having side Walls having external interdigitated hinge elements thereon, said switch means comprising a socket in the hinge element of the compartment opening to the top of the hinge element, a spring-pressed plunger rod working in the socket and having an exposed end adapted to bear operatively upon a part of the side wall of the container only in a closed position of the compartment upon the container, said socket having a lateral slot opening thereinto, said rod having a lateral contact lug working in said slot, and a contact palte fixed in the slot with which the contact lug is adapted to engage only in the open position of the container, said contact lug and said contact plate being in circuit with the illuminating means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,235,678 3/1941 Ray 240-645 2,258,542 10/1941 Cressaty 240-6.45 2,325,476 7/1943 Cleve 240--6.45 X 2,515,437 7/1950 Bisch et al. 240--6.45 3,111,275 11/1963 Pfisterer 240 -4.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 465,303 8/1951 Italy.

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

C. C. LOGAN II, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ILLUMINATED COMPACT COMPRISING A PAN-SHAPED POWDER CONTAINER, A PAN-SHAPED BATTERY COMPARTMENT HINGED TO THE CONTAINER TO BE HINGED BETWEEN A CLOSED POSITION IN REGISTRY WITH THE CONTAINER AND AN OPEN POSITION AWAY FROM THE CONTAINER, ELECTRICAL ILLUMINATING MEANS ENCLOSED WITHIN THE COMPARTMENT, A CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR THE COMPARTMENT COMPRISING A MIRROR AND TRANSLUCENT AREAS FOR PASSING LIGHT TO THE FACE OF A USER OF THE COMPACT FROM SAID ILLUMINATING MEANS, AND SPRING-CLOSED SWITCH MEANS CONNECTED TO THE ILLUMINATING MEANS AND COACTING WITH THE CONTAINER AND THE COMPARTMENT AND ADAPTED TO OPEN THE CIRCUIT ONLY BY CLOSING OF THE COMPARTMENT ON THE CONTAINER, SAID SWITCH MEANS COMPRISING A SOCKET IN THE HINGE OF THE COMPARTMENT OPENING TO THE TOP OF THE HINGE, AND A SPRING-PRESSED PLUNGER ROD WORKING IN THE SOCKET AND HAVING AN EXPOSED END ADAPTED TO BEAR UPON THE CONTAINER ONLY IN THE CLOSED POSITION OF THE COMPARTMENT UPON THE CONTAINER AND HAVING A CONTACT LUG ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A CONTACT PLATE IN THE COMPARTMENT ONLY IN THE OPEN POSITION OF THE CONTAINER. 